Left Behind
by x.Dancing.Queen.x
Summary: As a result of an ambush organized by Kate's mother, she is forced to abandon Tom; injured and bleeding at the mercy of their enemies. Years later, Kate's hope has fallen to ashes. But when an old friend shows up with unexpected news, the flame is reborn.
1. Prologue

Hope that somebody reads this!! If you do, please review seeing as this is my first Wereling story.

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As a result of an ambush organized by Kate's mother, Marcie, Kate is forced to abandon Tom; injured and bleeding at the mercy of their enemies. Nearly a year later, Kate's hope has fallen to ashes. But when an old friend shows up with news of his survival, the flame is reborn. Set after book 1.

Kate Folan glanced around warily, fearful of the falling darkness. Night would shield them, but it would also be a time of blindness.

They had barely escaped the grasps of Papa Takapa after he'd captured them both to play their own individual parts in his sick plan. Kate still had heart-wrenching dreams involving the horrid video images of Tom that she'd been forced to watch in that dark auditorium. She shook her head focused on the figure moving beside her, glad that she was sharing the eery feeling with Tom.

The full moon had barely passed, and he was jumpy as hell. An owl hooted far off, a hidden warning to the fugitives blundering through the forest. As if to prove Kate's point, Tom stiffened beside her and she could nearly see his glittering eyes in the lighting. Kate reached out to him, grasping his arm and attempting to pull him forward with her. Tom refused to move, standing absolutely still.

She dug her nails in and tugged, suddenly feeling desperate to get moving. A low growl emmitted from Tom's throat. Kate froze.

"Tom?"

He snapped out of it, letting his head hang down in an attempt to keep out of the faint moonlight. Slowly they began to move again, gradually picking up speed until they were walking along at the same speed as before. Tom's threatening growl had frightened Kate, though she knew that he would never attack her, human or lupine.

She focused on staying quiet, but her every footfall seemed like an earthquake compared to Tom's silence. His animal senses had heighted so much that he seemed at home in the forest, slipping through the trees and moving fluidly with no guidance whatsoever.

They emerged into a large clearing, one that seemed out of place among the thick trees, packed together tightly as if to guard the tiny space. Tom entered first, holding a hand out to keep Kate in the trees. He went totally alert, looking panicked as he sensed something wrong with their surroundings.

"Kate," he whispered, "we should get-"

He was cut off as a humungous shape burst out of the woods beside them, crashing into Tom. Kate screamed as he was brought down heavily, landing with a thud on the ground. The the unnaturally large wolf lunged savagely for his neck, but Tom wriggled out from under the animal, jumping away even as his size swelled. He fell to the ground as the 'wolf began to take over, overtaking his human form.

His clothes burst open as thick hair grew from every pore, covering his whole body in seconds. The sound of bones cracking and reforming made Kate wince as his skeleton pulverized itself and snapped back into place. Adrenaline surged through his veins as every shred of the human Tom was shrugged off in favour of this powerful form. The other wolf saw his transformation completing and rushed in to stop it, jumping on top of Tom and biting into his flesh.

Kate began to run forward as Tom writhed under him, struggling to become totally 'wolf. She barely got halfway across the clearing before a rough hand wrapped around her waist, while another roughly covered her mouth, cutting off her screams. She was jerked backwards carelessly as her captor dragged her away from Tom, fighting to pull her back into the trees.

Kate kicked at his legs, throwing her head back in the same gesture she had used to fend off Jed's brother, Rod. But this man just tightened his grip until he was cutting off her air supply.

Kate watched, wide-eyed, as Tom bucked strongly, throwing the other 'wolf off of him in one movement. He jaws opened and a deafening roar ripped out of his throat, freezing everyone else for a moment. He took this oppurtunity to attack his enemy, trapping him immediately by clamping his razor-sharp teeth around his attacker's neck. The other 'wolf snapped and whimpered at Tom as he crunched down on his throat, silencing his pitiful cries.

The fur-covered body went limp and Tom backed away, growling at the man who was choking Kate. The coward let go and ran blindly into the trees, sparing one terrified glance back at the sleek, powerful wolf.

Kate ran to the unmoving form that lay between her and Tom, checking it's pulse even though she presumed that it was dead. Sure enough, the wolf wasn't breathing. Tom slunk up to Kate, whimpering softly and pushing his head up under her arm as if begging for forgiveness. She looked down at him and took her hand from the wolf's neck to rub his head.

"Oh, Tom."

He looked up at her with those soulful brown eyes, and she could almost imagine that it was the real Tom she was holding right then. The image was shattered as a shout echoed out of the forest, jarring them out of a somewhat peaceful moment.

"Put your hands behind your heads. Now!"

Kate bounced up, looking around frantically for the source of the voice. Tom's hackles raised and he bared his teeth impressively.

Kate could hear the beginnings of another fierce roar, but whoever was threatening them yelled, "Your pet moves, and you both a get a bullet through the skull."

Kate swallowed, believing him entirely.

"Get over here, puppy," said the man mockingly as he moved into view. He was a big guy, one who looked fully capable of shooting and killing someone without regret. Kate saw the gun in his hand, pointed at Tom's head.

"Don't hurt him," she said shakily. "I'll do what you want."

The man glanced from Tom to her and then back again, speaking to her though his gaze was focused on the dark shape that stood by her side.

"You think we need you? You're just some kid."

Kate heard the tremble in his voice, sensed the lie.

"Papa Takapa needs me alive."

The thug frowned, apparently unconvinced, though she was sure that his master had told him to take them both alive. Tom was a wereling, and Kate was a pureblood. They were irreplacable unless the sick bastard wanted to wait for another hundred years or so, and he certainly would have chiseled that into this desperate mortal's head to avoid any misunderstandings. The man scowled and his eyes began to dart between them even faster.

"You- you're nothing! Just some stupid girl that he's taken a likin' to!"

The man paused, and his face twisted in anger and jealousy.

"He won't miss you one bit. I'll bet you're more trouble than you're worth."

Kate began to realize that the guy was drunk, or stoned. He looked slightly crazed already, and the rant had just begun.

"He'll _thank _me for gettin' rid of you. He'll turn me 'wolf out of app-appri...."

He struggled to form the word but the alchohol he had likely consumed was numbing his lips.

"Papa Takapa will be happy with me."

Kate began to get scared as the deranged thug hooked his finger around the trigger, ready to give a pull and send the waiting bullet into Tom's skull. Tom was remarkably still, standing with his ears pointed and tail up, ready for anything. Kate glanced from him to his potential killer and tryed desperately to destract his attention.

"Takapa won't do anything for you. You're just another hired muscleman that he plans to kill once you've done his dirty work."

The man's face twisted with rage.

"You're wrong!"

"No," said Kate firmly. "I'm not. He'll throw you away like trash. _Especially_ if you kill either of us."

The man began to loosen his hold on the trigger, glancing at his partner laying dead on the ground. The 'wolf's eyes wide and unseeing as they stared accusingly out up at the painted sky, which was darkening my the minute. Kate went on, the words forming out of thin air to spin a confusing web around him.

"He needs us to bring the 'wolves to power. You want that, don't you?"

The man nodded, suddenly unsure.

"Well, then Tom and I need to live, because Wolf Time will never come if you shoot us. How would you like to be the idiot who ruined all of Takapa's plans? He'd skin you alive and feed your remains to 'wolves like this one."

She gestured towards the dead animal at her feet, his lean form that was no doubt fed on human flesh. This last imaginative sentence pushed their attacker over the edge. He lowered the gun and then raised it again, realizing that he could still make threats with the weapon.

"Fine," he grunted. "But one wrong move, and you get a chunk taken out of your shoulder."

Kate nodded and began follow as he led them away, probably towards some inpenetrable holding cell designed for their capture.

They would never know.

Just then, crashes started going off all around them, exploding everywhere. A tree was hit just to Kate's right, and she screamed and jumped away, immediately beginning to run. Tom followed, bounding heavily by her side as they attempted to flee the soon-to-be battlefield. A man's voice shouted commandly behind her, and Kate turned to see a heavy set man pointing yet another gun at her face. He cocked the weapon and moved to pull the trigger, so caught up in the noise and chaos that he forgot orders.

Tom leaped towards Kate as the gun fired, sending a great bang out that forced Kate to cover her ears. Time slowed as Tom jumped onto Kate, bringer her crashing to the ground with him.

Too late.

The bullet struck flesh and dug deep into the chest of it's victim, thought not the intended target. Tom went suddenly limp and Kate pushed him off of her.

"Tom, let's go before-" Kate froze, staring at the unmoving beast that lay beside her. She crouched over him, ignoring the carnage and gunfire that echoed around her. Feeling through his dark, thick fur, she tried to locate the source of the wound, praying that she would feel hair and only hair as her searching fingers neared his chest.

Her heart stopped as wetness engulfed her slim fingers. The wound could not have been an inch from his heart, if not directly where it was. She couldn't tell because of his anatomy at first, but either way, the wound was unrepairable.

She watched his deep brown eyes as they fluttered closed, saw his breath catch wrenchingly as the bullet took it's toll on him.

Kate stared around, looking for help where there was none. People were flowing around her, running with sub machine guns and rifles through the forest. Soon, they would see Kate and arrest her. She stumbled blindly up, battling with her common sense. The fight or flight instinct kicked in, and the obvious decision was to fly. Fly far away.

But Tom kept her anchored to the spot, laying like a rag doll on the forest floor, blooding pooling around his torso and soaking the lush grass. From what she could tell he wasn't breathing. That was when Kate's mind lurched into motion, rolling forward in a panic that told her to run as fast as she could.

Her heart breaking in two, Kate turned and sprinted towards the safety of the treeline, glancing back at Tom to see his eyes open and looking into hers_. _

_Go_.

Kate tore her gaze from him as she slipped into the woods. Bark shattered above her head and millions of shards of wood flew around her. She closed her eyes and crashed through the undergrowth, leaving Tom behind, a bullet in his chest and death in his eyes.

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PLEASE REVIEW!!! No, Tom is not dead.


	2. A New Beginning

Enjoy my rather obvious mystery!!!

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Kara Fortin stepped into the crowded bar, struggling to keep her head down and not meet the gazes of any of the patrons, even the drunk ones. People glanced at her and lost interest, turning away to scan the crowd for a familiar face or to order another drink.

Kara strode to the bar and swung the hinged section open, sliding behind the bar. She walked to where most of the business was and bent down, opening a hidden cupboard in the strip of wood and putting her purse inside. She rose up again to find a man staring at her with red-brimmed eyes.

Kara shuddered and looked away, hoping that the man was simply hungover and had no place to go. Luckily, he did not speak to her, just turned on his rotating stool and surveyed the crowd. She let a breath out, glancing around secretively to make sure that she hadn't caught anybody else's attention. Nobody's eyes lingered on her.

Her fellow waitress and bartender walked up, looking relieved.

"Kara! Thank God!"

Kara nodded.

"Sorry I'm late, Maddy."

Maddy shrugged.

"S'okay."

She bustled past Kara, looking back over her shoulder to call a snippet of advice to her friend.

"We got a groper in the Wings jersey; watch yer ass."

Kara smiled and nodded again.

"Thanks, Maddy. Have a good night!" She called out as Maddy reached the door and pushed back into the real world with a wave and a smile.

Kara looked back to the bar to find that same guy looking at her. She whipped her head away, breaking the stare and grabbing a bright green apron from under the counter. She tied it around her waist in a tight knot and rushed into the bathroom to put her hair up. She looked at herself in the mirror, unsure of her reflection.

Kara's long and black hair had been cut down to shoulder-length and dyed blonde nearly six months ago, and yet, gazing at herself in the mirror was like looking at another person. It wasn't just the hair, though. She used to be thin and pale, but after stress eating for who knows how long, and taking a two month vacation to Hawaii, Kara was fuller in figure and evenly tanned. She was pretty, too, which made her a target for many of the drunk men that she served, as well as the sober ones.

She had had tons of offers from many sorts of guys, but after trying one date, Kara had decided to stay single for a while. A while had turned into a lot longer than that. Kara hadn't even been interested in a man for a year. She got lonely sometimes, but it was better than having the company of some ignorant guy that just wanted to get her naked, or some arrogant jackass who thought that he knew everything.

Kara made every effort not to be left alone, and yet hated to socialize with men she could never be with. This was why she worked at a restaurant with a bar attached, switched between the two businesses to keep as busy as possible and earn extra cash. And yet, Kara's real reason for walking into that stuffy, rushed room every night was that working as a waitress kept her under the radar.

This way, she went unnoticed.

And that was all that really mattered.

Kara Fortin was not the person that everyone around her thought she was.

Kara shook old thoughts out of her head and hurried out of the bathroom to where her waiting clients wre beginning to get impatient. She refused to dwell on old things. Kara took several orders at the bar and mixed the drinks quickly, focusing her entire mind on something that was so familiar to her that she did not need to think about doing it.

One man reached out for his drink instead of waiting for her to set it on the counter, his hand brushing hers for longer than necessary. She jerked her hand back and moved as far away as possible, scouting for people that looked as if they needed refills.

After several more hours of avoiding anyone that looked at her too long, Kara glanced at the clock and saw that she was due to start her shift at the connected diner. She hung up her apron and greeted Maddy as she returned, then headed towards the restaurant. She reached the counter and found that there were no aprons left. Looking around, she saw that waitress that she was relieving was still waiting on a family who were almost done their meals.

Kara sighed and leaned against a wall in the shadows, trying not to glare at everyone who passed by. She moved from the wall as it seemed that the waitress she was to relieve was finishing, but then she went on to another table.

Kara snorted in annoyance and blew her bangs out of her face. The stylishly cut hair fell back into her face and her emerald green eyes darted around behind it. Suddenly Kara spotted a handsome man looking intently at her from across the room, sitting alone in a secluded booth. His deep blue eyes bored into hers, making her skin itch.

Kara tried to look away but found herself captured, held by his endless attention. She was getting really creeped out by the time she managed to walk over to a waitress.

"Who is that guy?" Kara asked, trying to point at him without letting him know.

He noticed. The man winked at her and inclined his head slightly.

"I dunno," replied the gum-popping waitress.

"He's been there for, like, half an hour. Says he's waiting for someone."

Kara stared at her, trying not to look over-interested.

"Who?"

The girl shrugged and muttered something unintelligible.

"What?" Kara asked her. She repeated her sentence one more time.

"Keeps mentioning somebody named.... Trilly? Tilly? Something like that."

Kara blinked as the girl turned on her heel and walked away without another word, apparently bored of her questions. Glancing discreetly towards the man again, Kara paled as she found that his face was one she knew. One that she had hoped never to see again.

This was a man that connected her to the past and every horrible thing that had happened to her since meeting him; she hadn't missed the memories that he suddenly brought forth.

Kara pushed the suffocating images away as they threatened to overwhelm her.

A pair of chocolate eyes staring at her through a film of death.

The dark shape of a 'wolf laying helpless on the ground.

The world exploding around her as bullets showered the air.

Kara gasped as she truly relieved that horrible night for the first time in months. She began to move towards the door, her first instinct being to run from the past. But then her true nature kicked in and Kara knew that she needed to confront him, or have him haunt her for the rest of her life. Kara suddenly corrected her course before she could chicken out, striding in the direction of her former friend.

She avoided his gaze as she slid into the booth, crossing her arms across her chest, which had grown in volume since she'd last set eyes on him.

"Why the hell are you here?" she snapped venomously, unable to sit still. He regarded her coolly smile a but, much to her annoyance.

"It's been a while, Trolly."

Kara winced at the name, then felt embarrassingly weak for doing so and forced her eyes to meet his. She flicked hair out of her eyes and stared him down. She cut to the chase.

"How did you find me?"

The man smirked even more and she let out a frustrated breath. He tutted slowly at her, shaking one finger in front of his face.

"Now, now, that's no way to greet an old friend, is it?"

Kara narrowed her eyes at him. His smile slipped a little and he swapped it for an even more teasing one. Eventually he answered her question.

"Well, as you know, it took quite a while, but I eventually tracked you down through, ah, secretive means."

Kara glared harder.

"You won't tell me?"

He shrugged.

"I couldn't have you know _all _my secrets, could I?"

Kara rolled her eyes.

"What do you want, Blood?"

His name felt strange on her tongue, and Kara wondered if she had ever hoped to say it in the beginning, before it became easier to just wipe the slate clean and forget. Blood suddenly became absolutely serious. He opened his mouth, then glanced around furtively, as if suspicious of the innocent families and seniors that surrounded them.

"Trolly, why don't we take this elsewhere?" Kara reluctantly agreed, shooting up from the booth as soon as she told him where the extra key to her house was hidden. She had had to lean in close to him, smelling his cologne as she whispered into his ear.

He nodded to her as she left, rising from the booth and leaving the diner smoothly, with a wink at a middle aged woman near the door. She gave a little smile and turned away. Kara snorted and frowned at the display. Blood had never had that sort of affect on her, not like.........

She blinked away the fast rising tears and rushed to the counter where an apron waited for her, scratched up notepad in it's pocket. Kara grabbed it and angrily tied the thing, pulling at the strings much too hard. She stubbornly tied the knot and walked around for the better part of an hour with them constricting her waist. Finally she gave in and loosened it, feeling as if she couldn't stand to be smiling and speaking to total strangers a moment longer.

In her first spurt of individuality since joining Blood at the booth, Kara untied her apron completely and left it at the door. She collected her purse and told the manager that she wasn't feeling great and needed to go home. Her boss just nodded and let her go, probably figuring that it was about time that Kara took a day off.

Kara thanked her and left in a rush, breaking into a run as she burst through the doors of the restaurant and onto the sidewalk. Kara jogged to her little car and opened the door with gusto, slamming it into another car as she did so. She gasped as she jerked it away and saw the large dent in the shiny new metal of some person's 2010 Camaro.

Kara inspected the imperfection worriedly, glancing around to see if anyone had witnessed the accident. The parking lot was deserted except for a plastic bag blowing lazily across the concrete. Kara thought of returning to the restaurant and asking whose the car was, but she needed to get back home to see what the hell Blood wanted, and besides, it would attract attention.

That was exactly what she needed to avoid.

Kara frantically jumped into her car, shutting the door firmly behind her in a risky decision. Kara shoved her key into the slot, turning it and waiting for the vehicle to warm up a bit. After a second she shifted into Reverse and back out of her parking space, driving away like a madwoman.

When Kara pulled up in front of her home, her chest was heaving with adrenaline. She had nearly hit a minivan on the open road just before nearing her house, and was still reeling from the abrupt turn that had saved her and her car from being totalled. Kara bent and climbed out of her car, slamming the door behind her and speed-walking up to her front door. She tested the handle and found it unlocked.

Good. Blood had found the key.

She suddenly felt timid and opened the door cautiously, slinking into her own house. She shut the door with a tiny click behind her and advanced down the narrow hallway at a creep. Peeking into the kitchen, she saw him sitting casually at the table, sipping a mug of black coffee. He was surveying the room, leaning back on his chair. She swallowed, took a deep breath, and waltzed into the small room, taking a seat across from him.

Blood took another second before turning his electric gaze on her. He didn't speak for a moment, then gestured towards the surrounding house and said, "Love what you've done with the place."

Kara rested her arms on the table and balanced her chin in her palms, then changed positions because she felt vulnerable. She would have like to tell him that she was currently behind on payment for the place, but that wouldn't help her strong front.

Instead she muttered, "I try."

Blood grinned at her and she started to feel like they were wasting time, beating around the bush in her lonely little house.

"How did you find me? And why did you bother to come?"

Blood avoided her eyes, readying himself to shoot straight into a touchy subject. He couldn't predict her reaction when he delivered the news, but had staying away really been an option?

He had promised himself that if there were news, he would inform her. Of course, tracking the sneaky she-devil down all the way out here in the country had taken longer than expected, and the information could well be useless now. He squared his shoulders and plowed on, determined not to back out and leave her oblivious to the sliver of hope that would most likely just let her down.

She looked so beaten up, like she had given in to the weights of the world. Her striking eyes had become tired, she'd put on a few pounds (not that some more meat would ever be a problem on the skinny girl), and now she was living in the dump on the outskirts of some little village in Canada, of all places.

Moving all the way here had been a smart move, though, however frustrating the flat landscape was. Even Takapa hadn't suspected she would have left the country, which proved how desperate she was to escape from the past. If that was the case, it might be best not to tell her....

Blood tossed his indecisiveness away after a moment of thoughtful silence and cleared his throat meaningfully.

"It's.... it's about- well..."

He could barely force himself to spit the words out, now that it came to it.

"It's about Tom."

Kara stiffened and stared unblinkingly at the man across from her. Her green eyes shot wide open as her heart thudded erratically in her chest. The room suddenly seemed to be pushing in on her, suffocating her with his name. Kara choked for a moment on the warm air, her breaths coming in quickly. Tears began to sting her eyes once again and she turned her head away, her chest heaving. How could one name cause her so much grief?

She gripped the table and made herself take a deep, shaky breath then pressed it outwards slowly.

"What?" she whispered almost inaudibly.

Kara hated Blood at that moment, for dragging her old life back and throwing it at her feet like this. He shouldn't have come.

That was exactly what Blood thought as he watched uncomfortably, wanting to leave as soon as possible. He hated crying women. Kara's stare was so intense that it rushed out of his mouth, though, tumbling out in a way that he tried to conceal.

"Well..."

He looked at her with a flash of pity and she hardened.

"This might be hard to believe, but..."

Her mouth straightened into a grim line as she anticipated his next words, thinking that he would ask her to come help with some stupid experiment. They were probably putting some sick project together to form another wereling and needed her knowledge of the wolve's culture and anatomy. She glared at him and prepared a refusal.

"He's alive."

* * *

Kara opened her eyes grudgingly, wondering when she had decided to go to sleep. She couldn't remember changing into her old T-shirt, or brushing her teeth, or laying her head down on the pillow and closing her eyes.

As soon as she came fully awake, Kara knew why. She was in her full clothes, on her couch. Blood's face hovered over her with a concerned expression that waved slightly in front of her eyes until she blinked hard and her vision cleared. She wondered shy he was there for about a millisecond before it all came rushing back.

First came that horrible night, with Tom's powerful body lying frailly next to her.

His eyes, still human, begging her to do something, to escape.

She saw splatters of his precious blood behind her eyelids and heard gunshots echoing around the walls. Then trees surrounded her as she blundered through the woods in escape, knowing nothing but that she needed to get away, or die.

She remembered finding this old house on the outskirts of a town in Canada, blessing her luck that it was extremely cheap and came with an old, barely running Mazda that the owners had no use for. She remembered her short interview at the bar/restaurant, the managers surprise when she asked him for a job at both installments.

Kara thought of the endless nights of keeping under the radar, refusing to stand out for fear of being recognized.

Time flew past like she had set her memory at fast-forward and suddenly she could hear Blood's words in her mind shooting her back to a strange reality.

Tom was alive.

Kara had been living a lie. An unnecessary one.

She had changed everything about her, and for what? Kara Fortin was fake.

She was a masquerade, a shield from whatever lay inwait for the girl that had been using her as a mask for over twelve months.

The girl that had shoved her true identity away to keep herself safe from her own mother.

The girl that had abandoned her only friend when things got too tough.

That girl suddenly blazed with emotion.

She would hide no longer as Kara Fortin.

Her name was Kate Folan, and she was ready to come out of the shadows.

* * *

Hehe. That was fun.


	3. Rescue Team

* * *

"Kate."

Blood was totally serious all of a sudden, looking ready to explain in full. Kate was glad for that, and wondered if he had actually ever used her real name. Her real name. It felt great to be Kate again, to know that she could be herself, at least to this one person.

"Go on," she said quietly. "Tell me while I pack." Blood stared at her quizically.

"You're leaving?" She shook her head.

"I'm coming. If Tom is alive, I'm going to him."

Blood nodded, looking unsure. "If you insist. But I've got to warn you, Tom might be, ah... inaccessable for a time."

Kate stared at him as she turned the knob on her bedroom. She pushed inside, talking as she rooted through drawers.

"Why?"

"Takapa has him."

Kate froze momentarily, took a deep, cleansing breath.

"Oh." She slowly returned to packing, unsure of what to say. Blood saved her from having to speak.

"We're organizing a team to break into Takapa's main den and get him. That's why I came." Kate nodded, partially focused on deciding whether to take her old iPod. On a whim she stuffed it in under her jeans, just in case.

"Who?"

Blood was silent for a moment, and then began to list off names. "Let's see... we've got Jasmine and Sunday so far, and I'm working on getting Stacy to join in. She's actually not bad with a knife."

Kate stopped moving once again, feeling as if her world was falling apart all over again.

"_Jasmine and Sunday?!" _

She fumed silently, wishing her anger away. Why those two?

Blood answered her unspoken question. "They volunteered, and they've both been helpful in the past."

Kate shook her head furiously and threw the rest of her clothes into her bag angrily.

"Whatever. As long as they're not our only recruits." Blood was silent as Kate boiled over, grunting as she considered meeting those two again. Sunday had never been a big problem, but Jasmine?!

What was Blood thinking? Not only was she the bitchiest girl Kate had ever met, she hardly even knew Tom!

Kate grabbed her keys from the kitchen table and stormed towards the front door with Blood in tow. She glanced back over her shoulder and glared at him.

"Come on." He smirked and sped up to match her pace, thinking of how much money he could rake in on the bets over who would win the catfight that was sure to follow. It would be two against one, most likely, or one on one, seeing as Sunday generally stayed out of other people's business.

However, Jasmine had sort of adopted her as a student, in the art of who-knows-what. They were friends now, something nobody had really expected.

Blood grinned behind Kate's back, feeling devious. This was going to be fun.

* * *

Kate slung her bag over shoulder as she shot out of Blood's plush car. Tension had been rising ever since they had climbed into his brand new Porsche, and Kate could hardly sit still any longer.

She began walking towards the clinic that Blood had described on the way there, excited over something that could easily let her down. She hurried towards the little building with Blood close behind, locking his car up with a little remote.

He let Kate lead, afraid that she would trample him if he got in her way. She burst through the door and glanced around. The place was unfamiliar, but the face looking at her from a waiting chair in the corner brought back memories.

Stacy Stein had barely aged. Her shining copper hair was still cut sharply around her face, her intelligent eyes still pierced Kate straight through.

"Stacy!" Kate ran towards her friend and enveloped her in a warm hug.

"Kate! I seriously didn't think Adam would be able to convince you!"

Kate laughed and shook her head. "You should have more faith in him, Stacy. To tell the truth, all he had to do was tell me Tom was alive."

They broke away suddenly, friendly reunion cut short with mention of his name. Kate felt herself slipping into slight deppression all over again.

"I'm sorry," Stacy said quietly.

Kate forced a smile. "It's okay. I'm just a bit... unstable." Stacy nodded and looked at her hair questioningly.

"Blonde?" Kat shrugged and gave a true smile, glancing down at herself. "It's good to see a little meat on your bones."

"Stress-eating."

They fell silent once again, and Kate suddenly hated herself for running away, letting herself go like this. She could have fought harder, but... she'd thought he was dead, and that was too much to come back from.

"We'll get him back, Kate."

Kate sat absolutely still as she sat in reverence, towards everything that had happened. Blood sat down heavily beside Stacy. He put an arm around her and they exchanged a wierd glance.

"What?" asked Kate apphrehensively. Blood looked at her with an unreadable expression, and it looked like he was about to say something when Jasmine swept into the room. Kate's head snapped around to look at her as she walked towards them, stopping when she saw that Kate was sitting with Adam and Stacy.

"Kate?" her full voice sounded amazed and slightly angered. Kate frowned.

"Yeah." Jasmine stared at her and then smiled mysteriously, her pretty face lighting up.

"Shit. You came!"

Kate tried to smile back but failed. "Mm-hmm."

Jasmine was strangely casual as she took the chair beside Kate.

"Guess we got us a full rescue team now, eh?" Kate looked sharply at Blood and he shrugged.

"You'll manage." Kate snorted and glared at Jasmine.

"So...." she trailed off, wanting to say something to Jasmine that she thought might unnerve Stacy and Blood. They caught the hint and rose together, leaving through the same door that Jasmine had entered through. Once they were alone, Jasmine got the first word in.

"It's been a year, girl."

Kate glared at her with hatred at the name. Jasmine continued, though.

"Took you long enough." Kate gaped at her and Jasmine snorted in annoyance. "You been takin' it easy while _we _been gettin' your Tommy back."

Rage was rising in Kate's throat and she fought to keep her voice down.

"Taking it easy? Are you kidding, or has your grungy little brain finally run out of juice? You think I've been on some sort of vacation?! _I thought he was dead!" _Be the time Kate finished, she was almost screaming at Jasmine, her face a terrifying red. Jasmine looked at her coolly and replied, "You ain't got no smarter, either."

Kate lunged at Jasmine, fighting to get a hit in as she strong girl grabbed her wrists and forced her back. "Back off."

Kate clenched her fists at her sides and ground her teeth together, but before she could fully get a hold of her anger, she blurted out, "Why didn't you just stay in that shithole of an apartment?"

Jasmine's pouty lips had barely opened into an O before her dark eyes narrowed and her face twisted into a snarl. "You wanna know why I came? 'Cause I just got kicked out o' that fuckin' apartment, and Stacy gave me a place to stay. Because I care about Tom, and I've actually done somethin' to help him. And what've you done, eh, white girl? Just sat around and looked pretty, that's what. Skinny little bitch!"

Jasmine's dark complexion was turning a dangerous burgundy as she shrieked at the top of her lungs in Kate's face. Kate shrank back slightly as her mouth hung open even wider at Jasmine's words.

"_I saw _that bullet go into his chest. _I thought he was dead! _You think I would've stayed away if I'd known? I was just trying to stay alive!" Her last word hung in the air as Jasmine regained her composure remarkably fast and scowled at Kate with disdain.

"Whatever." She got up and turned her back to Kate, walking out on Kate rudely and ending their conversation abruptly. Surprisingly, Kate didn't feel wetness in her eyes. She was numb. She barely noticed the girl that crept into the room like a scared animal, looking warily at Kate. She was about Kate's age, maybe a bit younger, but shorter and more stocky, but not in an unflattering way. She was shapely with beautiful blonde hair and big, innocent eyes. Kate sniffled as she sat down beside her where Jasmine had just been.

"Hey, Kate." At this Kate met her gaze fully and stared. She couldn't summon words for a long moment, then she managed to say quietly, "Hey, Sun-day."

She was almost singing as she did so, though her face had somehow managed to coat itself with tears. Sunday put her arm around Kate's shoulders tentatively, rubbing her arm in comfort.

"Don't let Jasmine throw you off," she advised. "She's just nervous. And besides, you're on a team right? Maybe it's time to put your differences aside." Kate nodded solemnly, feeling like a total bitch for not even hugging Sunday or asking her about her life. She was just sitting there being useless, soaking up kindness like a stupid old sponge.

"Sorry I'm such a wimp," she said with a laugh. "I've just been sort of emotional lately."

"I can understand that," Sunday told her. "It must be kind of a shock, after thinking Tom was, you know...."

She squeezed Kate's shoulder and looked into her deep eyes, wondering exactly what Kate had been up to. Her new hair colour and slightly altered shape had put Sunday off at first, but now she saw the same Kate that had taken her in when Tom had brought her back to that lush apartment. It had been bearly a year, after all; what had really changed? Well, that sweet boy had been shot and captured, Kate had gone into hiding, and Sunday had been training to fight with people like Adam Blood and Stacy Stein. Their world had fallen apart, basically.

Sunday sighed and took her arm back, gesturing towards another door just beside them. "There's cots in there. You better get some sleep."

Kate nodded and smiled widely, somehow glad that this girl she had barly known was taking care of her. She rose and walked to the door, pushing it open to reveal three little beds that were no doubt stiff as boards. "See ya," she said cheerily to Sunday, who left quickly as if just remembering something important she had to do.

Kate drifted in and shut the door behind her, crashing on the closest cot to the door. She laid her tall form out on the thin mattress, adjusting until her feet no longer hung off the end. In seconds, Kate's mind had drifted away and sleep crept over her.

Kate woke to Stacy's face looking down on her irritatedly. "Boy," said her cloudy voice. "You sleep like a brick."

"Thanks," answered Kate, swinging her legs off of the bed. A wave of naseous washed over her and she steadied herself for a moment before hopping onto the ground again. Stacy held her up while blood rushed back into her body and Kate asked sleepily, "What time is it?"

"Time to go," replied Stacy cryptically. "We've let you sleep for hours. We've got to get to Takapa's base."

Kate shook her head in bewilderment, eyes wide. "You mean we're going _now_? We're not gonna wait or anything?"

Stacy shook her head and stared confusedly at Kate. "Why would we?"

She opened the door for the sleepy teenager as she lumbered into the main lobby. Waiting for her were Blood, Sunday and Jasmine. She refused to meet Jasmine's eyes and stood defiantly before them, shrugging off Stacy's attempts to help her.

"I'm fine," she insisted. "Let's go."

At this Blood gave an exasperated snort. "Finally. You, Trolly, could sleep through a herd of stampeding elephants."

Kate blushed and shrugged modestly, wishing that the attention could be diverted from her already. Jasmine took care of that for her.

"Yeah, well, girls like Kate need their beauty sleep."

The blush on Kate's cheeks rose again and reddened further. She glared at Jasmine's smirking face and turned to Blood.

"Can we just go already?" He smiled and gestured towards the front door.

"Lady's first." Everyone in the room but him went to the door with an annoyed expression, filing out and onto the steps. Sunday was the only one that seemed unbothered by the obvious tension. She wasn't sporting a sour expression or a rigid posture like the others, yet Kate knew she was smart enough to sense what was going on. Kate retreated into her own brooding world and ignored Sunday's futile attempts to lighten her mood. She was determined to outdo Jasmine.

However, they somehow were forced into sitting side by side in the large van that they were all piling into moments later. Kate scowled and Jasmine turned her head away, though it was pointless to look out the window, which was covered with black paint like all the other ones. Only the windshield offered a view of the dingy neighborhood they were cruising through, heading towards Takapa's lair.

When Kate expressed doubt that Takapa would set up in such a filthy place, Blood mentioned that their enemy had been forced to downgrade his movement. "Also," Blood added, "this is just a kind of prison for people that Takapa needs for experiments and such. He values them only enough to keep them alive, not treat them like human beings. Well, not _human_..."

He trailed off and shrugged, and Kate watched him for a moment before turning her attention back to the street. As they puttered along, houses shrank and became more beaten in. More and more stooping figures littered the sidewalks and trashcans began to show evidence of neglect. Kate spotted a boy on the sidewalk, probably about sixteen, with a gun handle sticking out of his waistband. She half expected him to pull it out and begin shooting, but he just glanced around suspiciously and shifted his jacket to conceal the weapon.

They passed him, leaving behind the most respectable person in the entire neighborhood. Kate grimaced as they pulled to a stop in front of what looked like a tiny shack sunken into the concrete. Blood took the keys out of the ignition and began digging in a garbage back he had hauled in with him. He pulled out a large amount of black clothing and began passing it around, holding them out in front of him one by one to check the size. Finally, he gave the smallest stuff to Kate and told them to suit up.

Stacy grabbed her clothes and immediateay began pulling them on over her outfit. Kate copied her, glad that she had cut her hair as she slipped on a ski mask without having to tuck in her locks. She wriggled into a baggy black sweater, pulling at the hood to obscure her face. After she covered her jeans with a pair of sweats, she looked expectantly at Blood, hoping for a weapon.

He smiled and opened the glove compartment, rifling through the mess to pull out four shiny black things. He passed each girl one of the round black objects and began talking even as he reached under the seat to pull out several different types of shotguns and tranquilizer guns, and one revolver that Kate looked at warily. He handed a small, black gun to Kate and gave it's twin to Sunday. Then he handed the revolver to Jasmine. Kate scowled as he passed it off to her without the uncertain expression he had worn while giving Kate her gun. Blood nodded and Jasmine and said, "Just like you wanted, sweetheart."

He grinned at Jasmine's grimace as he called her that totally inapliccable nickname. Kate fought the pout that was straining towards her, setting her face into a blank slate. Blood glanced at her, and suddenly his ever-present grin was replaced by a serious frown. "This has to go well, Kate, or we don't get him back. Ever."

Kate swallowed and nodded, realized that he had actually called her Kate. Again. This _was_ serious.

Jasmine was looking at them, seeming totally bored out of her mind. Finally, she said, "Let's do this shit."

Kate followed her as she climbed out of the van, looking around warily before uncomfortably readjusting her grip on the gun, wondering if she still had the drive to actually hurt someone. Then the image of Tom's blood-soaked body lying motionless before her flashed across her vision and she set her mind. Holding the weapon firmly, Kate walked up beside Jasmine and gave her a curt nod, which she returned. They both understood now that this wasn't the time or place for bickering; it was a rescue mission, and fighting within the team could crash the whole thing.

The two started forwards side by side, with Sunday and Stacy just behind them. As they began to descend the steps down to the door, her resolve managed to hold.

Kate stepped back as Jasmine held out a hand, signalling for her to stop. The short girl crept right up to the door, placing her ear lightly against it. For several moments she was still, then she blinked slowly and withdrew from the door, beckoning frantically at the rest of the team. Kate shot forward and looked expectantly at Jasmine, who whispered, "It's unlocked. Let's hurry."

Stacy drew in with them as Sunday looked back to the street in case they'd been spotted, but the place was still deserted. She sprinted up just as Kate said suspiciously, "Takapa can't be stupid enough to leave his back door unlocked."

"He doesn't know that this one exists," Jasmine replied, and turned the knob. She pulled the door open only a few inches and slipped through, leaving Kate to follow. She did so, realizing as she passed through the crack easily that maybe she hadn't gained as much weight as she'd thought. Stacy followed, and Sunday slipped inside right behind her, shutting the door hastily.

Kate blinked. Had they just broken into Takapa's lair? Jasmine saw her expression and chuckled lightly.

"We're not in yet," she told Kate quietly. Kate looked around at their surroundings and saw that they had entered into an even dingier area than the abandoned street after all. They were in a narrow hallway that seemed impossibly long, it's borders covered by clusters of trash, bagged or not. The reek was unbearable, filling Kate's brain until fresh air seemed like a heavenly priviledge.

There were flickering florescent lights every few metres, but their bulbs were failing and all in all the place might as well have been totally unlit. Darkness was pressing in nearly as hard as the stench, until the very walls seemed to be closing in on the group. The walls, which must have been white at some time, but now they had been stained various sickly shades of yellow and green, broken occasionally by cracks in the ancient plaster.

It took plenty of will not to spin around and bolt out of the door, but Kate had realized that this must be a cover for whatever Takapa's lab really looked like. That meant that sooner or later, this disgusting charade would give way to pristine linoleum and sparkling observation windows.

With that in mind, Kate began stepping lightly forward, bringing herself to the head of the group as everyone else reluctantly followed. Jasmine adjusted the fastest, and despite Kate's temporary spell of forgiveness to the cocky girl, she thought bitterly, _Can't be much different from wherever she grew up. _

She mentally scolded herself for it and moved twice as fast, picking her way through spots of mould and plastic. Silence fell among them as they made gradual progress down the endless hallway, and obviously it was due to the fact that they came closer and closer to their worst enemy with every step. Of course, it was unlikely that Takapa was actually waiting for them, or even thinking about the chances of invasion. He would surely be unprepared, which was the one thing they were counting on. That fact was solidified as Kate recognized a door breaking the blotchy watercolours of the wall on her right, which was old enough that it looked as if it was about to fall apart.

She halted in front of it and peered curiously at the rotting wood, which didn't appear to be reenforced. She allowed herself a questioning glance back at Jasmine, who nodded hopefully. Kate understood that they didn't know for sure whether this back door would have been noticed by the time they got to it.

Hesitantly, Kate reached forwards and wrapped her fingers around the oval shaped knob that had rusted beyond repair. It turned without sticking as she gently rotated her wrist, holding her breath as it came to a stop. She jiggled it a tiny bit to make sure that it was actually ready to open, then she closed her eyes and pushed.

The door swung inwards with an ear-splitting creak, and Kate winced, half wishing she could pull it shut again and walk away. Instead, she let it go, standing tensely as it settled against the wall. A breath found it's way out of her tight lungs as it stilled.

Then, a shattering crack as the door's hinges gave way, letting the rotted wood fall from it's ancient housing and onto the concrete floor. Kate couldn't retrain a gasp at the mind-filling sound, and she took half a step back as it splintered into a thousand pieces. The crash resounded for several seconds after, the only noise other than her wildly beating heart.

Almost warily, Kate took her gaze from the broken door and looked inside.

* * *


End file.
